VIDEO: Scottish ref head-butted during powderkeg Saudi match

Matthew Elder

Scottish referee John Beaton was at the centre of controversy last night (Sunday) after appearing to be head-butted by a player during a heated title-decider in Saudi Arabia.

Category One ref Beaton, from Motherwell, was flown out, along with assistant referees Stuart Stevenson and Douglas Ross, to officiate the top of the table clash between Al Hilal and Al Nasr following an invite from the Saudi Arabian FA.

The powder keg derby match, played in front of 60,000 fans at the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh, saw the away side, Al Nasr, claim the Saudi Arabian title with a 1-0 win after Beaton flashed THREE red cards to leave hosts Al Hilal with eight men.

And home tempers flared over in injury time when midfielder Salem Al Dawsari became the third Al Hilal player to be sent off after appearing to head-butt the Lanarkshire whistler.